I’m often challenged about status of the Gospels as eyewitness accounts of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. Many skeptics reject the eyewitness authority of these accounts , even though the early Church selected and embraced the canonical Gospels based primarily on the eyewitness authority of their authors. Some skeptics argue the Gospels were never even intended to be seen as eyewitness testimony , in spite of the fact the earliest students of the apostles (and first Church leaders) repeated the content of the Gospels in their own letters , affirming the eyewitness status of the Gospels. It might be helpful, therefore, to review the context in which the Gospel events were first observed, recorded and transmitted in the 1 st Century:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

The better approach in my view is to ask not whether a chimpanzee fits the definition of a person or whether a chimpanzee has the same rights and duties as a human being, but instead whether he or she has the right to liberty protected by habeas corpus. That question, one of precise moral and legal status, is the one that matters here. Moreover, the answer to that question will depend on our assessment of the intrinsic nature of chimpanzees as a species.

I don’t know the process of how these are ranked, but one website recently published the list: Top 100 Christian Blogs on Jesus Christ, Bible & Christianity in 2018 . There are some great websites and organizations on the list, on which I’m thrilled to have ranked at all, let alone at number thirty-three. But, if you take a look at the list, you’ll see that Bart Ehrman’s blog is ranked at number twenty-nine, and if you don’t know or didn’t read his bio, Ehrman is one of today’s leading skeptics of Christianity. I’m not at all against people reading Ehrman at all, in fact I encourage believers to educate themselves on the argument against Christianity, but if one didn’t know about the many reasonable responses, rebuttals, and refutations of Ehrman’s claims that are available, his arguments might sound pretty good and convincing, and His books and website are merely a tiny tiny fraction of what’s out there gunning for your kids and mine. When I started TPE just eight short years ago, there wasn’t near the amount of apologetics and worldview training resources that there are today, but if you don’t know where to look or exactly what it is you’re looking for, one is just as likely to stumble across misinformation as they are the truth.

What to pray for this week: Pray God would remind us that we are upheld by His power and purpose. Pray He would remind us that we exist by His choice. Pray we would remember that we are created for Him. Download 21 Days of Prayer for Life! bit.ly/2CkG6ff pic.twitter.com/uoYRLDNvv0

Some believers throughout church history have agreed with many nonbelievers in proclaiming that Christianity is not a reasonable religion. Nevertheless, a powerful theological-philosophical consensus within the history of the faith has argued that the historic Christian religion involves knowledge and is indeed compatible with reason. This historic agreement has often been expressed in the common statement: “faith seeking understanding.” Its most articulate and persuasive spokespersons through the centuries have been such distinguished Christian thinkers as Augustine, Anselm, and Thomas Aquinas. 1

“It seems that most popular new movies these days are sequels, prequels, reboots, or remakes. The reason Hollywood seems unoriginal is because, when it comes to films, we prefer nostalgia to novelty. Every human has a basic desire for how things are actually meant to be. Nevertheless, this ideal is perverted by sin to the extent that, more often than not, our desires themselves are wayward. The reason sequels, reboots, and remakes become mixed up in this desire is because our broken world is deficient to satisfy our hunger. Instead, we attach the desire to something more tangible, but still vague enough to provide an ineffable hope, like memories of feelings we have had during certain times in our past when things seemed just right. We are drawn to sequels and prequels because they promise to take us back to a place we remember enjoying. We are drawn to remakes because they promise to recreate encounters with characters and stories that once gave us comfort.”

If you’ve followed TPE regularly for any given amount of time, it’s very likely that you’ve noticed that I have a passion for Christian Apologetics. The reason for this is simple: After rejecting my Christian upbringing and faith in my early twenties due to doubt, it was through Christian Apologetics that I returned to the faith and recommitted my life to Christ after many years of wandering as a rather apathetic self-proclaimed agnostic and I personally know of and have heard of countless of others who have similar stories. It is an undeniable fact that that apologetics is one of the many ways that the Holy Spirit uses to draw people to Christ. Just a few of the many examples are C.S. Lewis, Lee Strobel, and former cold-case homicide detective and committed atheist, J. Warner Wallace .

The Bible is a sharp, double-edged sword—able to pierce the heart. However, when portions of the Bible are used in the wrong context, it’s like trying to fight with the butt of the weapon instead of the blade. It’s just not effective.

One lie is that children in the womb are not human beings, at least up to a certain point of gestation. That is not true. It is a matter of fact — a straightforward scientific fact known since the basics of human reproduction were first understood in the early 19th century — that human life begins at fertilization of the egg by the sperm, and that at every stage of life thereafter, from zygote to embryo to fetus to newborn, the individual is a human being. The child in the womb is not a part of the mother (half the time he’s not even the same sex as the mother), nor is a child in the womb mere “tissue” that becomes a human being at some arbitrary point in gestation. Women don’t reproduce by budding.

Be the first to watch, listen and download at http://www.thebigconversation.show The Big Conversation is a unique video series from Unbelievable? featuring world-class thinkers across the Christian and atheist community. Exploring science, faith, philosophy and what it means to be human. Launching 9 June 2018 with the debate between Jordan B Peterson and Susan Blackmore. Still to come: Steven Pinker & Nick Spencer Derren Brown & Rev Richard Coles Daniel Dennett & Keith Ward John Lennox & Michael Ruse Peter Singer & Andy Bannister Videos, updates, exclusive content http://www.thebigconversation.show •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Unbelievable? engages in fundamental questions on Christianity with the intention to openly discuss different opinions between Christians and non-believers. Each Saturday, in the award-winning programme Unbelievable, Justin Brierley asks questions like: Is there evidence for God? Can we trust the Bible? Did Jesus rise from the dead? Justin tackles these and other issues, on a show that gets Christians and non-believers talking to each other.

This is a manifesto to ignite the holy fire of apologetic passion and action. As did Jeremiah, we should have “fire in our bones” to communicate and commend Christian truth today (Jeremiah 20:9). This manifesto is not a sustained argument or a detailed development of themes. Rather, as a manifesto, it proclaims a short series of interrelated propositions crying out for both immediate and protracted reflection, prayer, and action. These challenges issue from convictions formed through my nearly thirty years of apologetic teaching, preaching, debating, writing, and Christian witness.

Jim Daly on Supreme Court's decision in favor of Christian baker: "I know Jack would want me to remind all of us that his court victory is not a time for gloating or disrespect toward those who disagree with... facebook.com/ChristianPost.…

On more than one occasion, people have asked me what areas should they focus on in their own study of apolgoetics. These are people that want to engage the culture and are burdened for the people God has placed in their lives. In my opinion, while there are many others not mentioned here, there are at least five apologetic areas every Christian should learn about. What I mean is that over the years of talking to hundreds of college students and others as well, these are the continual topics that always come to the surface. So here are some of my picks:

Mormons have a different understanding of the word "grace" than Christians do. In section six, Dr. Loren Pankratz explains, "Mormons are taught that grace is nothing more than God's 'enabling power' to help them keep commandments in order to qualify for exaltation." Our ability to successfully share God's true grace with Mormons will depend on our own grasp of these differences and definitions.

“A traveler, between flights at an airport, went to a lounge and bought a small package of cookies and a newspaper. The woman found an empty seat in the gate area and sat down next to a man reading a magazine. After a couple of minutes she became aware of a rustling noise. From behind her paper she peeked to see the man sitting next to her helping himself to her cookies. After the initial shock she decided not to make a scene so she reached over and took a cookie for herself.

I turned on the TV one night and saw an older preacher being carried out to the pulpit by a man on each side. I have never seen someone alive look so dead. He claimed that God told him to fast for 40 days so that people could look at him while he preached and know that God was behind his sermon. I thought, “Wow, that man is so godly! That must be what biblical fasting looks like!”

I wish I could provide a rebuttal to the exegesis offered by The Gang, but I can’t, since David didn’t bother to listen to my presentation, so there wasn’t much to rebut. Still, one thing is now clear: the difference in methods is due to a fundamental difference in goals.

Like most people, the first time I heard the word “apologetics” I was befuddled. I was driving down Interstate 5 in Southern California en route to work at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why there was such a stress for Christians to apologize. After showing up at work, I asked a fellow Christian what the word meant—and that’s when I discovered, to my relief, that apologetics means “to defend the faith.”

Be Steadfast – Chick-fil-A’s leadership hasn’t changed its approach or its core values, despite the efforts of those who oppose the company. As Piepenbring wrote in the article, “When the first stand-alone New York location opened, in 2015, a throng of protesters appeared. When a location opened in a Queens mall, in 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed a boycott.” Opposition groups have not weakened Cathy’s commitment to the teaching of Jesus. We must be similarly dedicated and steadfast. Jesus warned his followers: “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first” (John 15:18). The moral teaching of Jesus was unpopular in the First Century; we shouldn’t be surprised to find it’s still unpopular in the Twenty-First Century.

There are only foolish reasons to support missions unless there is something we cannot see that matters more than what we can see. We long for that unspeakable beauty — we go out not just serving those in need, but seeking that full vision of the highest happiness. With longing and joy in worship, we go on mission ensured of the promise that as we seek the heavenly Jerusalem, we will appear before our God (Psalm 84:7; Hebrews 11:13–16). Missions is quite simply a pursuit of God who is in heaven.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, in a concurrence joined by Justice Samuel Alito, challenged the Kagan reading of the ruling, noting that the commission had demonstrated its unconstitutional lack of neutrality not merely by the improvident words of some of its members, but even more decisively by ruling in other cases in favor of bakers who refused to bake cakes for religious people who requested them as statements of opposition to homosexual conduct or same-sex partnerships. If Mr. Phillips was guilty of discrimination based on sexual orientation then surely these bakers were no less guilty of discrimination based on religion — another type of discrimination expressly forbidden by the Colorado law.

Two quick tips here. When you read the Bible you need to understand the historical backdrop of the text. For example, the Old Testament needs to be understood in light of the Ancient Near East. And the Old Testament needs to be understood in light of a largely Jewish mindset emerging in a world heavily influenced by Greco-Roman Culture.

1. Pre-existent and Divine : Micah 5:2 predicts that the Messiah—a “ruler”—shall come forth from Bethlehem “whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting.” In other words, a future ruler would be everlasting, which means he must pre-exist. Col. 1:17 affirms that Jesus was “before all things.”

Don't have drunken hookups. Follow this rule and Title IX doesn't matter. It’s impossible to overstate how deeply the sexual revolution has reshaped our thinking. This leaves intelligent men and women with a lot of restating to do. bit.ly/2sDKSxt pic.twitter.com/rzFnOMOZCE

Christians should be first to recognize that the unemployed need the dignity of expressing their created identity as image of God through work. By doing so, we honor and reflect the work that God did Himself when He created the world. bit.ly/2JuTrEB pic.twitter.com/ThNTxUCqGy

Tim Barnett of Stand to Reason clarifies a common misconception about the biblical definition of faith. For more information, visit str.org. Connect with us: Twitter: https://twitter.com/STRtweets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standtoreaso... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standtoreason/ Have a question or comment? Call Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason live Tuesdays 4-6pm Pacific Time - (855) 243-9975. If you'd like to submit your question ahead of time, fill out the online form here: https://www.str.org/training/broadcast

god bless Michael i always listened to Michael at night it was a shock this morning to hear of his passing i always prayed for healing for him. but God's got other plans for Michael. he will be sadly missed. god bless Michael and my condolences to his family and friends..

There are no errors, scientific or otherwise. If there were, I would not be a Christian. There's no way I wanted to "deny self" and "repent" and follow some peacenik hung on a cross
But...If you're honest--try your best--you can only agree with John 14:6

FILE - In this April 16, 2018, file photo, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, speaks during a news conference in Cincinnati. The Obama administration secretly sought to give Iran brief access to the U.S. financial system by sidestepping sanctions kept in place after the 2015 nuclear deal, despite repeatedly telling Congress and the public it had no plans to do so. That’s according to an investigation by Senate Republicans released June 6. “The Obama Administration misled the American people and Congress because they were desperate to get a deal with Iran,” said Portman, the subcommittee’s chairman. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, file)

June 6, 1944. The invasion of Occupied France. There was no guarantee of success. Photographs show churches with signs inviting people to fill their pews and pound on heaven’s door to plead for God’s aid for the troops and the cause. And people did it. bit.ly/2M0wqHK pic.twitter.com/LjYkjC2HFJ

All those who belong to Jesus are his offspring: they are the children of Abraham and members of the Israel of God. The land promise is also fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The first glimmer of the promise is located in Jesus’s resurrection, which guarantees the resurrection of believers and the new creation which is coming. In the new creation the entire world is God’s temple, and the whole universe is the new Jerusalem where God and the Lamb dwell (Rev. 21:1–22:5).

Christ died for sinners, not good people. If we make a big deal over one sin or make light of another, we base our salvation on our own righteousness, denying either that Christ’s work was necessary for the little sins or enough for the big ones. bit.ly/2sBAkPi pic.twitter.com/w4c955L7M1